Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

OWG session 9

3 – 5 March
2014

Australia, the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom

Troika statement on the focus areas paper of
the OWG co-chairs

4 March 2014

We thank both co-chairs for their efforts and guidance so far, as well as for
their report. We look forward to their continued leadership.

SDGs should be based on the Millennium Declaration, the Rio +20 Outcome
Document and the Outcome Document of the MDG Special Event. They should address
all three dimensions of sustainable development.

We welcome the broad consensus that eradicating poverty in all its forms is
the overarching priority. We need to complete the unfinished the business of the
MDGs and end extreme poverty, including a target to bring those living on less
than $1.25 a day to zero.

We have many comments on the focus areas, but we will confine ourselves to
the following key points:

Gender equality and women’s empowerment

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are inextricably linked to the
achievement of all goals. We support both a dedicated goal and integration
across the framework. In addition to the issues raised in the co-chairs’
summary, we would like to highlight the following areas:

• End all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual
violence, and Female Genital Mutilation

• End child, early and forced marriage

• Ensure equal access to, and control over, assets and resources, and the
right of women to own and inherit property, sign a contract, register a business
and open a bank account, and

• Ensure the protection and fulfillment of sexual and reproductive rights

If one thing is clear from our experiences with the MDGs, it is that omitting
separate goals on peaceful and stable societies, and on accountable and
effective institutions will make any sustainable development agenda woefully
incomplete and inadequate. There is an abundance of evidence to illustrate this
point.

As well as outcomes, these goals are enablers, too, just like education is an
enabler, or health, or means of implementation. They are key to an ambitious and
transformative goal framework for sustainable development. That is why, Mr.
co-chair, we call for two separate goals on peaceful and stable societies and on
accountable and effective institutions.

Peaceful and Stable Societies

A goal on peaceful and stable societies would truly be universal. Personal
safety for individuals is a priority for everyone around the world. Not only do
50% percent of the world’s poor live in conflict affected and fragile
situations, but of the half a million violent deaths every year, three quarters
are in countries considered to be peaceful. So this agenda is relevant to
everyone. The findings of the Myworld survey confirm that `freedom from crime
and violence’ is in the top seven priorities listed by people globally. We would
like to suggest the following areas for consideration under this goal:

• Enhance the capacity, professionalism, accountability and legitimacy of
security forces, the police and the judiciary

• Ensure universal access to justice

Accountable and Effective Institutions

Accountable and effective institutions are at the heart of the social
contract between the state and its citizens, and both an outcome and enabler of
development. Citizens want governments that are capable and responsive and able
to deliver on their commitments. The Myworld survey found that `an honest and
responsive government’ is among the top four priorities of ordinary people. We
would like to suggest the following areas for consideration under a goal on
accountable and effective institutions:

• Provide universal legal identity

• Guarantee the public’s right to information, and access to government
data

• Ensure officials and institutions are held accountable, and reduce
bribery and corruption

We would like to highlight again the call by 51 member states during OWG8 to
ensure the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all individuals,
including universal access to sexual and reproductive health information,
education, and services. The rights component of sexual and reproductive health
is essential to realising a decent life for all. We call emphatically for the
inclusion of SRHR in the post-2015 agenda.

Economic Growth

We welcome the focus on economic growth, which needs to be both inclusive and
sustainable. As well as international markets that support economic growth, we
need national enabling environments that create:

Regarding the focus area on health and population dynamics we emphasize the
importance of universal access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable
modern methods of family planning, and the health needs of youth and
adolescents.

Environmental Degradation and Climate Change

We agree with many delegations that tackling environmental degradation and
climate change and meeting the 2 degrees objective is essential to poverty
eradication and sustainable development. We want to ensure that the SDGs
integrate environmental sustainability and climate change throughout, especially
in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, water, natural resources and
infrastructure.

Disaster Risk Reduction

In addition, we join the many delegations who have said that disaster risk
reduction is an essential element in achieving the post-2015 agenda.

Means of Implementation

We acknowledge the importance of Means of Implementation (MoI) to the
achievement of the SDGs. While finance issues are being covered by the
Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, we
are ready to engage in a discussion on the non-financial aspects of what a
global partnership should cover.

We need to address MoI as a whole; trying to split it up across the SDGs is
impractical. In addition to an overall discussion on MoI, we could, as the
delegate from Colombia proposed, highlight the benefits of multi-stakeholder
partnerships in specific areas that would make the realisation of the SDGs
possible.

CBDR

We take note of the statements on CBDR. We underline that, as defined in Rio
principle 7, CBDR applies specifically to global environmental degradation. It
is not an overarching principle for the SDGs. We are committed to a universal
agenda with shared responsibilities and contributions reflecting countries’
evolving capabilities and circumstances.

Conclusion

In closing, we would like to highlight our commitment to an ambitious,
transformative, universal post-2015 agenda. In this regard, we would like to
emphasize that leaving no one behind means not discriminating against anyone
regardless of their gender, age, race or ethnicity, religion of belief,
disability status, sexual orientation or gender identity.